A friend of mine was wondering: How does the heater and a/c system work in a hybrid Civic and Hybrid Toyota? Especially in cold or hot weather? Thanks

05-22-2008 12:48 AM

MSantos

The heater derives its

The heater derives its "heat" from the gas engine coolant - just like any other car. The hybrids do tend to employ several heat saving and retension techniques to allow the the gas engine to stop on cooler days. On very cold days (like -25 to -50) the gas engine never stops.

The AC on the Prius is driven exclusively by an electric AC compressor.
The AC on the Civic hybrid is driven by a hybrid AC compressor that can run on electric, the gas engine or both depending on load.